Six people have been confirmed dead as of Tuesday afternoon after a tunnel under construction collapsed on Monday in Jincheng City, northern China's Shanxi Province, according to local authorities.

One person was rescued first and sent to the local hospital, but died hours later despite treatment. The bodies of the other four victims were retrieved from the site on Tuesday morning.

The accident occurred around 4 p.m. at the tunnel on a city highway. Six construction workers were involved in the accident, according to the local publicity authorities.

An estimated 200 cubic meters of debris was blocking the tunnel. Further investigation is underway.

(CGTN's Hu Chao also contributed to the story.)